The Science of the Soul in Colonial New England

Abstract

This book demonstrates how from the 1630s to the 1740s natural philosophy and empiricism combined with Puritanism to transform the scope of religious activity in colonial New England. Puritan ministers listened to, witnessed, and recorded thousands of testimonials of spiritual experiences of individuals ranging from last words of dying believers, young girls involved in the Salem witchcraft trials, to converted Native American Indians. The book terms this attempt to somehow capture spiritual grace and evidence of the presence of soul as “tokenography”. It also states that science and religion were intricately linked for both Puritans and Baconians. The book finally explores the work of Jonathan Edwards, who like the other Puritans of the 1650s, constructed a science soul.

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